Saturday, June 16, 2018

Journal Watch June 2018

CHRONIC PAIN

Early physical therapy benefits low-back pain patients: Patients with low-back pain are better off seeing a
physical therapist first, according to a study of 150,000 insurance claims. Those
who saw a physical therapist at the first point of care had an 89 percent lower
probability of receiving an opioid prescription, a 28 percent lower probability
of having advanced imaging services, and a 15 percent lower probability of an
emergency department visit -- but a 19 percent higher probability of
hospitalization. Health Services Research

Do arthritis treatments provide mental health benefits? Drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis may impact mental
health by improving pain and stiffness and by targeting inflammatory processes
common to arthritis and depression; however, a recent review demonstrates that
relying on rheumatoid arthritis therapies alone may not meaningfully improve
patients' mental health. Arthritis & Rheumatology

COMPLEMENTARY & ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Parkinson’s Disease and Complementary Health Approaches: Several
complementary health approaches have been studied for Parkinson’s disease, and
some have shown a positive benefit for the symptoms associated with the
disease. There is some limited evidence that tai chi may improve some symptoms
of Parkinson’s, but study results are mixed. Some systematic reviews and
meta-analyses have found positive effects of acupuncture in people with
Parkinson’s disease, but many of the studies have been of low quality so
conclusive evidence is still lacking. No dietary supplements have been shown to
be beneficial for symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The American Academy of
Neurology issued a practice parameter in April 2006 on neuroprotective
strategies and alternative therapies for Parkinson’s disease and made
evidence-based treatment recommendations that address the needs of specialists
and caregivers for people with Parkinson’s disease. This issue of the
digest provides a summary of evidence for several complementary health
approaches that have been studied for Parkinson’s disease, including natural
products and mind and body practices. NCCIH Clinical Digest May 2018

Yoga Can Reduce Urinary Incontinence in Older Women: A
three-month yoga intervention can reduce urinary incontinence (UI) frequency in
ambulatory women aged 50 years or older, according to a study presented at the
annual meeting of the American Urological Association, held from May 18 to 23
in San Francisco.

Herb List App: The National Center for Complementary and Integrative
Health has a herb database app now available for free. It provides research
based information about the safety and effectiveness of herbal products.

FDA ACTION

• Approved Palyniq
for adults with phenylketonuria (PKU)

• Permitted
marketing of Imagen OsteoDetect, a type of computer-aided detection and
diagnosis software designed to detect wrist fractures in adult patients.

Review IDs Exercise 'Dose' That May Improve Cognition in Seniors:
For older adults, exercise is associated with improved cognition, with
exercising for at least 52 hours over a six month period for about an hour each
session associated with improved cognitive skills, according to a review
published online May 30 in Neurology: Clinical Practice.

Social Isolation Tied to Worse Heart Failure Outcomes:
Greater perceived social isolation is associated with an increased risk of
death and health care use among patients with heart failure, according to a
study published online May 23 in the Journal of the American Heart
Association.

Loneliness
is bad for the heart: Loneliness is bad for the heart and
a strong predictor of premature death, according to a new study. The study
found that feeling lonely was a stronger predictor of poor outcomes than living
alone, in both men and women. European Society of Cardiology.

Suicide Prevention Should Be a Public Health Priority: Suicide
prevention needs to be a public health priority, according to the American
Psychological Association (APA). The APA calls for a multifaceted approach that
includes increasing access to mental health screenings and ensuring that
insurance covers both prevention services and treatment.

No
to ECG Screening to Prevent CVD in Low-Risk Adults:The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against screening
with resting or exercise electrocardiography (ECG) to prevent cardiovascular
disease (CVD) events in low-risk asymptomatic adults. This final recommendation
statement has been published in the June 12 issue of the Journal of the
American Medical Association.

Intellectual
Activities in Later Life May Cut Dementia Risk:
Active participation in intellectual activities among adults aged 65 years or
older is associated with reduced risk of dementia, according to a study
published online May 30 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Most popular vitamin and mineral supplements provide no health benefit, study finds: The systematic review of existing data and single
randomized control trials published in English from January 2012 to October
2017 found that multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium and vitamin C -- the most
common supplements -- showed no advantage or added risk in the prevention of
cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke or premature death. Generally,
vitamin and mineral supplements are taken to add to nutrients that are found in
food. The study found folic acid alone and B-vitamins with folic acid may
reduce cardiovascular disease and stroke. Meanwhile, niacin and antioxidants
showed a very small effect that might signify an increased risk of death from
any cause. Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Lentils significantly reduce blood glucose levels:
Replacing potatoes or rice with pulses can lower your blood glucose levels by
more than 20 per cent, according to a new study. Researchers found that
swapping out half of a portion of these starchy side dishes for lentils can
significantly improve your body's response to the carbohydrates. Replacing half
a serving of rice with lentils caused blood glucose to drop by up to 20 per
cent. Replacing potatoes with lentils led to a 35-per-cent drop. The Journal of
Nutrition

CPAP Use May Improve Sexual QOL in Those With Sleep Apnea:
Successful continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) use for obstructive sleep
apnea may be associated with improved sexual quality of life (QOL), according
to a study published online May 24 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck
Surgery.

New treatment for severe asthma: Two
new studies of patients with difficult-to-control asthma show that the eczema
drug dupilumab alleviates asthma symptoms and improves patients' ability to breathe
better than standard therapies. Dupilumab, an injectable anti-inflammatory
drug, was approved in 2017 by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment
for eczema, a chronic skin disease. NEJM

To Lower Your Medicare Drug Costs, Ask Your Pharmacist for the Cash Price:
A simple question at the pharmacy could unlock savings for millions of Medicare
beneficiaries. Under a little-known Medicare rule, they can pay a lower cash
price for prescriptions instead of using their insurance and doling out the
amount the policy requires. But only if they ask. That's because pharmacists
say their contracts with drug plans often contain "gag orders"
forbidding them from volunteering this information. Researchers
analyzing 9.5 million Part D prescription claims reported in
a research letter to JAMA in March that a patient's copayment was
higher than the cash price for nearly one in four drugs purchased in 2013. For
12 of the 20 most commonly prescribed drugs, patients overpaid by more than 33
percent. VPR

Federal Government Must Tackle Rising Insulin
Prices:U.S. officials need
to take action to control spiking insulin prices, the American Medical
Association (AMA) says. The Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department
should monitor insulin pricing and market competition and take any necessary
enforcement measures, AMA members agreed at the group's annual meeting. The
nation's largest physicians group said the rising cost of insulin is causing
big financial problems for patients, Medicare and Medicaid.

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The Purpose of Healing Whole

The aim of the Healing Whole blog is to provide information on ways people can thrive regardless of the conditions they are affected by. Every Wednesday is "Take a Break" day and suggestions include simple art activities, games and other ways to relax and reduce the stress that often accompanies being a patient, caregiver, provider or family or friend of someone who is living with chronic or serious health issues. In addition to Healing Whole, I am co-director of Chronic Conditions Information Network (CCIN), www.cc-info.net which offers workshops and trainings on a variety of topics, including patient advocacy. We can be reached at margocaulfield@icloud.com or 802-226-7807.

About Me

The following blog sites have been developed to provide current information in various aspects of health care and as they pertain to Cavendish Vermont. Margo Caulfield is both the co-director of Chronic Conditions Information Network of VT & NH (CCIN) www.cc-info.net as well as coordinator of the Cavendish HIstorical Society www.cavendishhistoricalsocietynews.blogspot.com